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    A function holomorphic on $0<|z|<1$ with $\int_{|z|=r}f=0$ for all $r<1$, but not holomorphic at $0$

    P-AW6IK

    Area
    Complex Analysis
    Topics
    Counterexamples, Laurent Series, Residues, Singularities
    Status
    draft

    Show by example that there exists a function \(f(z)\) that is holomorphic on the punctured disk \(D^*(0, 1) = \{z \in \mathbb{C} \mid 0 < |z| < 1\}\) such that for all \(0 < r < 1\): \[\oint_{|z| = r} f(z) \, dz = 0,\] but \(f\) is not holomorphic at \(z = 0\).

    Solution

    Take \[ f(z)=\frac1{z^2}. \] This is holomorphic on \(0<|z|<1\) and has a pole of order \(2\) at \(0\), so it does not extend holomorphically across \(0\).

    For \(0<r<1\), parameterize \(|z|=r\) by \(z=re^{it}\), \(0\le t\le2\pi\). Then \[ \oint_{|z|=r}\frac{dz}{z^2} =\int_0^{2\pi}\frac{i r e^{it}}{r^2e^{2it}}\,dt =\frac{i}{r}\int_0^{2\pi}e^{-it}\,dt =0. \] Equivalently, the Laurent expansion is just \(z^{-2}\), whose residue at \(0\) is \(0\).

    Hence \(f\) satisfies the required integral condition for every \(r\), despite having a nonremovable singularity at \(0\).